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The Explorer
The sea was very calm. There was no ship in sight, and the seagulls were motionless upon its even greyness. The sky was dark with lowering clouds, but there was no wind. The line of the horizon was clear and delicate. The shingly beach, no less deserted, was thick with tangled seaweed, and the innumerable shells crumbed under the feet that trod them. The breakwaters, which sought to prevent the unceasing encroachment of the waves, were rotten with age and green with the sea-slime. It was a desolate scene, but there was a restfulness in its melancholy; and the great silence, the suave monotony of color, might have given peace to a heart that was troubled. They could not assuage the torment of the woman who stood alone upon that spot. She did not stir; and, though her gaze was steadfast, she saw nothing. Nature has neither love nor hate, and with indifference smiles upon the light at heart and to the heavy brings a deeper sorrow. It is a great irony that the old Greek, so wise and prudent, who fancied that the gods lived utterly apart from human passions, divinely unconscious in their high palaces of grief and joy, the hope and despair, of the turbulent crowd of men, should have gone down to posterity as the apostle of brutish pleasure. But the silent woman did not look for solace. She had a vehement pride which caused her to seek comfort only in her own heart; and when, against her will, heavy tears rolled down her cheeks, she shook her head impatiently.
188 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1907
31 people are currently reading
236 people want to read
About the author
W. Somerset Maugham
2,114 books6,063 followersWilliam Somerset Maugham was born in Paris in 1874. He spoke French even before he spoke a word of English, a fact to which some critics attribute the purity of his style.
His parents died early and, after an unhappy boyhood, which he recorded poignantly in Of Human Bondage, Maugham became a qualified physician. But writing was his true vocation. For ten years before his first success, he almost literally starved while pouring out novels and plays.
Maugham wrote at a time when experimental modernist literature such as that of William Faulkner, Thomas Mann, James Joyce and Virginia Woolf was gaining increasing popularity and winning critical acclaim. In this context, his plain prose style was criticized as 'such a tissue of clichés' that one's wonder is finally aroused at the writer's ability to assemble so many and at his unfailing inability to put anything in an individual way.
During World War I, Maugham worked for the British Secret Service . He travelled all over the world, and made many visits to America. After World War II, Maugham made his home in south of France and continued to move between England and Nice till his death in 1965.
At the time of Maugham's birth, French law was such that all foreign boys born in France became liable for conscription. Thus, Maugham was born within the Embassy, legally recognized as UK territory.
His parents died early and, after an unhappy boyhood, which he recorded poignantly in Of Human Bondage, Maugham became a qualified physician. But writing was his true vocation. For ten years before his first success, he almost literally starved while pouring out novels and plays.
Maugham wrote at a time when experimental modernist literature such as that of William Faulkner, Thomas Mann, James Joyce and Virginia Woolf was gaining increasing popularity and winning critical acclaim. In this context, his plain prose style was criticized as 'such a tissue of clichés' that one's wonder is finally aroused at the writer's ability to assemble so many and at his unfailing inability to put anything in an individual way.
During World War I, Maugham worked for the British Secret Service . He travelled all over the world, and made many visits to America. After World War II, Maugham made his home in south of France and continued to move between England and Nice till his death in 1965.
At the time of Maugham's birth, French law was such that all foreign boys born in France became liable for conscription. Thus, Maugham was born within the Embassy, legally recognized as UK territory.
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June 25, 2022
First and foremost, this is a love story. If you truly love somebody, do you need explanations clarifying why a loved one does what they do? There is the story in a nutshell. I haven’t given anything away--it is totally impossible to know the answer until you hear the circumstances of Maugham’s story.
It is not the prose that draws a reader to the story. The prose I find rather ordinary. It is the story itself, thought up by and made believable though Maugham’s way of telling it, that makes the book worth reading. Along the way, I kept wondering how I would think and feel if put in the characters’ places. By the end I was satisfied that what we had been told was believable.
Please note--this is available free at Librivox. We are no longer able to put such links in our GR reviews! Just search for Librivox, the title and the author’s name, and you’ll find it. The narrator is designated as OCTL7. I am not so picky with Librivox narrators; they are not paid, and they give of their own time. The recording facilities are not professional. The woman’s voice is weak and difficult to follow. For me, it was nevertheless worth the effort. The narration I have given two stars. The narrator gets into her stride the further she gets into the story. You get used to how she pronounces the words, but I wouldn’t recommend listening if you can read a paper version.
I will read anything and everything that I can get my hands on by W. Somerset Maugham. I love the variety of his books; none are the same. I am very glad to have read this. Thank you, Sandy, for telling me of it.
**************************
My ratings of Maugham’s books:
Then and Now 5 stars
Mrs Craddock 4 stars
Cakes and Ale 4 stars
The Explorer 4 stars
The Painted Veil 4 stars
The Verger 4 stars
Liza of Lambeth 3 stars
The Razor's Edge 3 stars
The Magician 3 stars
Up at the Villa 3 stars
Christmas Holiday 3 stars
Theatre 2 stars
The Moon and Sixpence 2 stars
Of Human Bondage 2 stars
The Merry-Go-Round 1 star
The list is not complete, but I hope it helps.
Keep in mind that what fits me may be different for you. I think on a general basis I would recommend Cakes and Ale first. It was his own favorite.
It is not the prose that draws a reader to the story. The prose I find rather ordinary. It is the story itself, thought up by and made believable though Maugham’s way of telling it, that makes the book worth reading. Along the way, I kept wondering how I would think and feel if put in the characters’ places. By the end I was satisfied that what we had been told was believable.
Please note--this is available free at Librivox. We are no longer able to put such links in our GR reviews! Just search for Librivox, the title and the author’s name, and you’ll find it. The narrator is designated as OCTL7. I am not so picky with Librivox narrators; they are not paid, and they give of their own time. The recording facilities are not professional. The woman’s voice is weak and difficult to follow. For me, it was nevertheless worth the effort. The narration I have given two stars. The narrator gets into her stride the further she gets into the story. You get used to how she pronounces the words, but I wouldn’t recommend listening if you can read a paper version.
I will read anything and everything that I can get my hands on by W. Somerset Maugham. I love the variety of his books; none are the same. I am very glad to have read this. Thank you, Sandy, for telling me of it.
**************************
My ratings of Maugham’s books:
Then and Now 5 stars
Mrs Craddock 4 stars
Cakes and Ale 4 stars
The Explorer 4 stars
The Painted Veil 4 stars
The Verger 4 stars
Liza of Lambeth 3 stars
The Razor's Edge 3 stars
The Magician 3 stars
Up at the Villa 3 stars
Christmas Holiday 3 stars
Theatre 2 stars
The Moon and Sixpence 2 stars
Of Human Bondage 2 stars
The Merry-Go-Round 1 star
The list is not complete, but I hope it helps.
Keep in mind that what fits me may be different for you. I think on a general basis I would recommend Cakes and Ale first. It was his own favorite.
December 5, 2019
The Explorer felt more like Maugham the playwright rather than Maughham the novilist. By this I mean that playwrights have the ability to narrate the behaviors of the actors and rely upon the actors to communicate the emotions of the characters. The novilist, however, needs to place his readers inside his characters if their emotions are to be effectively felt. With The Explorer, the characters are described in various emotional states, but I was never placed inside of them. I never had the opportunity to walk in their shoes, so to speak.
Then there is the unsympathetic plot. The term "First World Problems" comes to mind in that the characters are the upper crust of English society. The problems that drive this book develop from injuries that affect the characters’ social standing and the pride that the characters have in themselves. Disappointments are derived from standard of decorum that cannot be overcome because their world is set inside a self-imposed (and highly ornate) little box. The plot felt unrealistic in that solutions to their problems were numerous in my mind but never explored by Maugham as the book progressed.
There are other issues that also detract from the story. For instance, the character that sends the plot moving towards its end was absent from the events that he claims to have witnessed. Another issue is that certain damning publications are never disclosed to the reader. I never had a chance to engage first-hand in the intrigue.
In total, this is not a very good book especially in light of some other very good books that have been written by this very good author.
Then there is the unsympathetic plot. The term "First World Problems" comes to mind in that the characters are the upper crust of English society. The problems that drive this book develop from injuries that affect the characters’ social standing and the pride that the characters have in themselves. Disappointments are derived from standard of decorum that cannot be overcome because their world is set inside a self-imposed (and highly ornate) little box. The plot felt unrealistic in that solutions to their problems were numerous in my mind but never explored by Maugham as the book progressed.
There are other issues that also detract from the story. For instance, the character that sends the plot moving towards its end was absent from the events that he claims to have witnessed. Another issue is that certain damning publications are never disclosed to the reader. I never had a chance to engage first-hand in the intrigue.
In total, this is not a very good book especially in light of some other very good books that have been written by this very good author.
October 29, 2011
This book was written by Maugham when he was 25, and it is obvious that the author was a very young man because his characters never change throughout time (that is, at that time W.S.M. did not know yet that a person when s/he is 25 is different from when s/he is 29). Two people passionately in love with each other separate for four years and when they meet again everything seems to be just like when they last saw each other. Albeit they are fiercely in love (we are told so), they have no problem separating again for another couple of years, so inhumanly great they are. This is another weakness of the book - the good people are simply übermenschlich, the bad ones are "rotten to the core". Since both kinds are never really encountered in life, reading about them becomes boring pretty soon.
August 22, 2011
I have somewhat mixed feelings about this book. It's cut from the same cloth as Mrs Craddock and Maugham's other pre-Of Human Bondage novels in that the prose is a bit on the flowery side and the tone somewhat melodramatic compared to his later work. If anything it feels even more like a 19th Century novel than Mrs. Craddock does, with so much of the plot centered on marriage proposals and such. It's also unusual for a Maugham book in that it becomes obvious pretty early on what the main conflict is going to be, so early on that it's almost tedious waiting for it to come. Or would be tedious, if the book weren't so well-written.
Having said that, though, the book is far more enjoyable than I fear I make it sound. The crisis of honesty and honor at the center of the plot, while a little precious-seeming to my 2011 sensibilities, certainly makes for some heart-wrenching moments. Also, surprisingly for such an earnest novel, the book is a lot of fun. A high point is the constant banter between supporting characters Dick and Julia, which deftly dances along the line between plausible and hilarious. The two of them make a comic relief/"perfect match" pair that would be at home in any modern romantic comedy, and their presence leavens the proceedings like a breath of fresh air. Thanks to their dialogue, this is the first Maugham novel that made me realize why he was such a successful playwright. It was also interesting to see the continuities between this novel and some of his others: familiar places such as Blackstable, Tercanbury, and Court Leys all make appearances, and Mrs. Craddock is even mentioned in passing.
In other words, another fine early work by Somerset Maugham. I wouldn't recommend it as a first Maugham, but as a tenth or eleventh, I enjoyed it quite a lot.
Having said that, though, the book is far more enjoyable than I fear I make it sound. The crisis of honesty and honor at the center of the plot, while a little precious-seeming to my 2011 sensibilities, certainly makes for some heart-wrenching moments. Also, surprisingly for such an earnest novel, the book is a lot of fun. A high point is the constant banter between supporting characters Dick and Julia, which deftly dances along the line between plausible and hilarious. The two of them make a comic relief/"perfect match" pair that would be at home in any modern romantic comedy, and their presence leavens the proceedings like a breath of fresh air. Thanks to their dialogue, this is the first Maugham novel that made me realize why he was such a successful playwright. It was also interesting to see the continuities between this novel and some of his others: familiar places such as Blackstable, Tercanbury, and Court Leys all make appearances, and Mrs. Craddock is even mentioned in passing.
In other words, another fine early work by Somerset Maugham. I wouldn't recommend it as a first Maugham, but as a tenth or eleventh, I enjoyed it quite a lot.
July 24, 2016
I am dismayed by this book for being so mediocre. The antiquated storyline is rather tedious and tiresome. The tone shifted from righteous seriousness to outright flippancy without managing to be smooth. The characters are quite simply archtypicals, without much depth and nunances.It is an English tragedy and a comedy and a romance thrown together, a salad with ill-looking leaves and a few long dead shrimps, and a few surprisingly fresh-looking grapes. This is not an impressive work.
July 14, 2015
‘The Explorer’ may not be Maugham’s most memorable work but you’ll still find his signature well-drawn characters and elegant prose in this novel he penned when he was a mere 25 years old. It’s hard to believe someone so young could write so well. And could anyone else make passive voice sound so stylish?
The story is strong if uneven, with the most compelling thread (that of a young British woman named Lucy whose charismatic, corrupt father squanders the family fortune and leaves his children disgraced) ending too soon and the subsequent romance between her and a stoic, misunderstood adventurer taking up too much space and leaning heavily towards melodrama. Secondary characters fill too many pages as well, when it’s Lucy that the reader is most likely to be interested in.
But the dialogue is terrific. The droll banter as Maugham skewers love and marriage is the kind of stuff Oscar Wilde would have killed for. And who knew Maugham was a voice for feminism—in 1907? It’s all there, in the witty repartee that goes down easily.
The story is strong if uneven, with the most compelling thread (that of a young British woman named Lucy whose charismatic, corrupt father squanders the family fortune and leaves his children disgraced) ending too soon and the subsequent romance between her and a stoic, misunderstood adventurer taking up too much space and leaning heavily towards melodrama. Secondary characters fill too many pages as well, when it’s Lucy that the reader is most likely to be interested in.
But the dialogue is terrific. The droll banter as Maugham skewers love and marriage is the kind of stuff Oscar Wilde would have killed for. And who knew Maugham was a voice for feminism—in 1907? It’s all there, in the witty repartee that goes down easily.
August 2, 2018
This my least favorite William Somerset Maugham book. If you want to start reading him please don’t start with this one.
February 25, 2025
This is the weakest of his books that I’ve read. The characters are wooden and one-dimensional although not wholly uninteresting. The plot is a bit immature, this isn’t his first novel but it feels like it what I would expect in a much earlier phase of his career.
December 7, 2019
I was not expecting much from this novel. If it were any good I would have heard about it. I cannot remember Maugham talking about it in any of his autobiographical writings.
And indeed, it is rather weak. We have our heroine Alice who comes straight from the 18th century. She comes from a well respected old family. Unfortunately, father wastes the family fortune and ends up in prison for some bucket shopping, whatever this is exactly. Alice, of course, believes in his innocence till the end. And then, her only hope to restore the family honor is her brother. The only option for her is to marry.
Fortunately, there are two options, a cousin and the explorer of the title. Cousin is nice but not loved. The Explorer, Alec, is just that, the Mungo Park type. "Exploring" Africa. A guy too good to be true. What does he really do in Africa? Not that it is very important, something good. Freeing slaves or something. White man’s burden and all that. This is hard to swallow.
He proposes but she does not accept, probably because she thinks that maybe she inherited bad blood. And she stays with father. Who by the way is eventually released and then dies. But, she says, maybe her answer will be different when he comes back from his next exploration. And would he please take her brother with him? Since because of the scandal there is no place for him in England.
So, what can be in the way of eternal bliss? Well, it turns out that brother is no good. In Africa, he looses his good looks, starts drinking and kills a native woman. What can our Explorer hero do? Because of bad brother he is in a mess and the only rescue is to send bad brother on a suicide mission. Which is what he does.
Brother dies. Later, when he is back in England, about to marry his sweetheart, a rumor starts that he is responsible for the death of brother. He denies nothing but does not explain. Asks her to just trust him. She tries. But in the end, she asks him point-blank. Are you responsible for the death of brother. And instead of just lying he admits it. Obviously, out of hurt pride. Why could she not just trust him?
Anyway, she nearly marries cousin but in the end when he is about to go back to Africa to help the King of Belgium (who is described as being responsible for any number of atrocities) on some mission. At the last minute, Alice tells him that all is forgiven and she will marry him anyway.
Well.
Except for the questionable plot, there is one other annoying thing. The characters constantly talk to each other as if they were playing in some light comedy. (Maugham was the poor man’s Oscar Wilde at the time.) "Flippancy," says Explorer "is often the only refuge from an uncomfortable position." Sometimes the dialogues are quite funny, but even then they just do not fit. And there are as many misses as hits. One thing I did like was when in a sub-plot a lady also refuses a proposal and he will not make it again, although it is crystal clear that she would accept. Instead, he wants her to propose. And in the end, she does: "Sir, I have the honour to demand your hand in marriage."
And this I liked: Alec goes on rambling how a man is really a man in Africa, because everything is built on a nobler standard. "There one knows what is will and strength and courage. You don’t know what it is to stand on the edge of some great plain and breathe the pure keen air after the terrors of the forest."
To this the guy whose marriage was just demanded replies: "The boundless plain of Hyde Park is enough for me. And the aspect of Picadilly on a fine day in June gives me quite as many emotions as I want."
And indeed, it is rather weak. We have our heroine Alice who comes straight from the 18th century. She comes from a well respected old family. Unfortunately, father wastes the family fortune and ends up in prison for some bucket shopping, whatever this is exactly. Alice, of course, believes in his innocence till the end. And then, her only hope to restore the family honor is her brother. The only option for her is to marry.
Fortunately, there are two options, a cousin and the explorer of the title. Cousin is nice but not loved. The Explorer, Alec, is just that, the Mungo Park type. "Exploring" Africa. A guy too good to be true. What does he really do in Africa? Not that it is very important, something good. Freeing slaves or something. White man’s burden and all that. This is hard to swallow.
He proposes but she does not accept, probably because she thinks that maybe she inherited bad blood. And she stays with father. Who by the way is eventually released and then dies. But, she says, maybe her answer will be different when he comes back from his next exploration. And would he please take her brother with him? Since because of the scandal there is no place for him in England.
So, what can be in the way of eternal bliss? Well, it turns out that brother is no good. In Africa, he looses his good looks, starts drinking and kills a native woman. What can our Explorer hero do? Because of bad brother he is in a mess and the only rescue is to send bad brother on a suicide mission. Which is what he does.
Brother dies. Later, when he is back in England, about to marry his sweetheart, a rumor starts that he is responsible for the death of brother. He denies nothing but does not explain. Asks her to just trust him. She tries. But in the end, she asks him point-blank. Are you responsible for the death of brother. And instead of just lying he admits it. Obviously, out of hurt pride. Why could she not just trust him?
Anyway, she nearly marries cousin but in the end when he is about to go back to Africa to help the King of Belgium (who is described as being responsible for any number of atrocities) on some mission. At the last minute, Alice tells him that all is forgiven and she will marry him anyway.
Well.
Except for the questionable plot, there is one other annoying thing. The characters constantly talk to each other as if they were playing in some light comedy. (Maugham was the poor man’s Oscar Wilde at the time.) "Flippancy," says Explorer "is often the only refuge from an uncomfortable position." Sometimes the dialogues are quite funny, but even then they just do not fit. And there are as many misses as hits. One thing I did like was when in a sub-plot a lady also refuses a proposal and he will not make it again, although it is crystal clear that she would accept. Instead, he wants her to propose. And in the end, she does: "Sir, I have the honour to demand your hand in marriage."
And this I liked: Alec goes on rambling how a man is really a man in Africa, because everything is built on a nobler standard. "There one knows what is will and strength and courage. You don’t know what it is to stand on the edge of some great plain and breathe the pure keen air after the terrors of the forest."
To this the guy whose marriage was just demanded replies: "The boundless plain of Hyde Park is enough for me. And the aspect of Picadilly on a fine day in June gives me quite as many emotions as I want."
June 4, 2021
3.5 stars
Maugham admitted that he wrote this book strictly for the money and didn't really believe in it.
Knowing that the British public were tiring of realistic 'slum tale' novels, Maugham felt that the public were more in the mood for Kipling-esque 'patriotic' fiction, and with this book gave the reading public a patriotic tale of the Empire, in which the sun should never set.
He later became critical of the work saying, "I have a great dislike for it and if it were possible would willingly suppress it. At one time it irked my conscience like the recollection of a discreditable action".
He added: "I have come to the conclusion that it is very dull and stupid....".
I'm nowhere as critical of the book as Maugham; it may not be his best, but it still had me gripped.
His elegant prose is evident throughout, and his dialogue, as others have pointed out, witty.
As for the book's imperialism, racial attitudes, I'm not so sure as other readers are that the viewpoints were Maugham's. Sure, he was a man of his time but I feel that the glorification of Empire were not so much his sentiments as the public's - the people for whom he wrote the book. This is just a feeling I have, as many of his tales about Europeans abroad have a more acid and satirical tone to them rather than an admiring one.
The book is a novelization of an unproduced play, and some of the dialogues between Dick and Julia seem to display these theatrical origins.
The story is certainly melodramatic, and briefly, can be summed up as being about the Allerton family - the daughter Lucy, her irresponsible father who brings the family to ruin, and her brother George who is also a worthless scoundrel, but in the naive eyes of Lucy is a gentleman who has the chance of making something of himself after their father's disgrace.
Along with the family, we have the title character - the explorer Alec, who knows how worthless George was but hasn't the heart to reveal all this to Lucy his sister, the girl that Alec also happens to love.
Along with these characters we have Dick Lomas, a solicitor/retired politician and friend of both Alec and the Allertons, and Dick's friend, the widow Julia Crowley.
Yes, the book may have its faults, and is a product of its time, but as is so often the case with Maugham, it's an entertaining story that is still readable today.
Maugham admitted that he wrote this book strictly for the money and didn't really believe in it.
Knowing that the British public were tiring of realistic 'slum tale' novels, Maugham felt that the public were more in the mood for Kipling-esque 'patriotic' fiction, and with this book gave the reading public a patriotic tale of the Empire, in which the sun should never set.
He later became critical of the work saying, "I have a great dislike for it and if it were possible would willingly suppress it. At one time it irked my conscience like the recollection of a discreditable action".
He added: "I have come to the conclusion that it is very dull and stupid....".
I'm nowhere as critical of the book as Maugham; it may not be his best, but it still had me gripped.
His elegant prose is evident throughout, and his dialogue, as others have pointed out, witty.
As for the book's imperialism, racial attitudes, I'm not so sure as other readers are that the viewpoints were Maugham's. Sure, he was a man of his time but I feel that the glorification of Empire were not so much his sentiments as the public's - the people for whom he wrote the book. This is just a feeling I have, as many of his tales about Europeans abroad have a more acid and satirical tone to them rather than an admiring one.
The book is a novelization of an unproduced play, and some of the dialogues between Dick and Julia seem to display these theatrical origins.
The story is certainly melodramatic, and briefly, can be summed up as being about the Allerton family - the daughter Lucy, her irresponsible father who brings the family to ruin, and her brother George who is also a worthless scoundrel, but in the naive eyes of Lucy is a gentleman who has the chance of making something of himself after their father's disgrace.
Along with the family, we have the title character - the explorer Alec, who knows how worthless George was but hasn't the heart to reveal all this to Lucy his sister, the girl that Alec also happens to love.
Along with these characters we have Dick Lomas, a solicitor/retired politician and friend of both Alec and the Allertons, and Dick's friend, the widow Julia Crowley.
Yes, the book may have its faults, and is a product of its time, but as is so often the case with Maugham, it's an entertaining story that is still readable today.
June 2, 2013
I consider Somerset Maugham as one of my favorite authors. The Explorer was a nice diversion. The story was classic, in that it bordered on melodramatic and the outcomes were somewhat predictable. When something happened as a twist to the story, I generally nodded as if to say, "Yes, I could see that coming." There were passages that engaged the mind in reflection, which is what I value most about reading and often find in Maugham's writing. This book was a good distraction, much like watching Downton Abbey on a Sunday evening.
February 23, 2021
Perfectly serviceable melodrama in which proud, beautiful Lucy is desperate to restore her family’s good name after her ne’er do well father loses their ancestral home and swindles a woman out of her fortune. Alec is a brave, handsome (and rich!) man who has been single-handedly trying to rid Africa of the Arab slave trade. Having fallen in love with Lucy, he agrees to take her younger brother George with him on his next trip. But George is more like his father than Lucy realizes, and Alec makes some hard decisions that will change everyone’s lives.
I liked it just enough, and in six months, you could ask me the plot and I’ll bet I could barely tell you a thing.
I liked it just enough, and in six months, you could ask me the plot and I’ll bet I could barely tell you a thing.
November 2, 2021
З усіх прочитаних мною книг Сомерсета Моема ця - найслабша. Якби я читала її років двадцять тому, певно критикувала б саме лінію він-вона-та інші, оцю досить штучну ритуальність навколо стосунків. Але з перспективи сьогоднішнього дня, до недоліків варто додати оцей колоніальний дискурс "підкорення" Африки, гордість за створення імперії та цивілізування усіх інших. У ХХІ столітті така англійська література читається інакше, та допомагає зрозуміти, чому місце деяких творів в навчальних програмах варто переглядати. Читати можна, але з врахуванням колоніальних "скелетів у шафі" Великобританії.
July 21, 2017
Как же плохи его ранние работы!
December 6, 2018
In reading this book I was struck by what aspects of it made it so appealing, and something clicked that allowed me to better understand why this author has so quickly moved up my own list of favorite authors. The author in this book manages to combine the straightforward writing of adventure novels aimed at young men from the late 19th century--a style of writing I must admit I am fond of--with the psychological insight of O'Neill's Mourning Becomes Electra. In fact, this novel seems to share a lot with O'Neill's later play, looking at an English family of importance that has fallen on hard times rather than a New England family, with a set of siblings that appears to split the qualities of their parents and contain different aspects of the fatal pride that prevents them from acting in ways that can best ensure their happiness. This is not a particularly famous book, at least as far as I know, but it is a powerful exploration of the psychic burdens that are felt by the children of spectacularly unsuccessful parents, and of the way that the behavior of family members often hinders our own happiness, told in an old-fashioned style that makes the message easier to take.
This book focuses on the last two members of a proud family, the Allertons, and the repercussions of their father's financial irresponsibility and fraud, which lands him with a heavy sentence of penal servitude and an early death, and leaves the family in disgrace. The last two members of this family are the daughter Lucy and the son George. Lucy is strong and proud, but suffers like most people do from a great deal of insecurity and a desire to protect her family reputation, which leads her to break two engagements during the course of the plot and struggle to find intimacy. She loves Alec, an unsentimental and even brutal titular explorer who out of love for her takes on the weak-willed George as a protege on one of his imperialistic ventures to Africa. The plot moves between the slanders of the elite set and the gossipy newspapers of England and the brutal realities of life in Africa, and the book ends somewhat happily with the lovers reconciled with each other as Alec goes on another mission, this time to help King Leopold expand his role over the Congo, while Lucy promises to wait faithfully for him to return from Central Africa.
Reading this novel, it is difficult to see it from the vantage point of our own time, which adds some layers of irony to the plot as a whole. At the time the author wrote, there was a great deal of romance about the expansion of British authority in Eastern and Southern Africa, but even at that time King Leopold was known as a particularly brutal example of European imperialism. One wonders if the author intends on the reader to see Alec as brutally unsentimental about the expansion of European power and the eradication of slavery, opposed to brutality against the native populations on pragmatic but not sentimental grounds. One wonders if the elites of England were intentionally designed to appear as hateful and hypocritical as they do nowadays, building up someone and then tearing him down at will, and heeding the voice of slander rather than appreciating justice in its complexity. The author demonstrates a shrewd knowledge of family psychology that demonstrates long experience either observing or participating in dysfunctional families, and the book holds up today as a look at family therapy, generational curses, and imperialism, all subjects that are certainly relevant even now.
This book focuses on the last two members of a proud family, the Allertons, and the repercussions of their father's financial irresponsibility and fraud, which lands him with a heavy sentence of penal servitude and an early death, and leaves the family in disgrace. The last two members of this family are the daughter Lucy and the son George. Lucy is strong and proud, but suffers like most people do from a great deal of insecurity and a desire to protect her family reputation, which leads her to break two engagements during the course of the plot and struggle to find intimacy. She loves Alec, an unsentimental and even brutal titular explorer who out of love for her takes on the weak-willed George as a protege on one of his imperialistic ventures to Africa. The plot moves between the slanders of the elite set and the gossipy newspapers of England and the brutal realities of life in Africa, and the book ends somewhat happily with the lovers reconciled with each other as Alec goes on another mission, this time to help King Leopold expand his role over the Congo, while Lucy promises to wait faithfully for him to return from Central Africa.
Reading this novel, it is difficult to see it from the vantage point of our own time, which adds some layers of irony to the plot as a whole. At the time the author wrote, there was a great deal of romance about the expansion of British authority in Eastern and Southern Africa, but even at that time King Leopold was known as a particularly brutal example of European imperialism. One wonders if the author intends on the reader to see Alec as brutally unsentimental about the expansion of European power and the eradication of slavery, opposed to brutality against the native populations on pragmatic but not sentimental grounds. One wonders if the elites of England were intentionally designed to appear as hateful and hypocritical as they do nowadays, building up someone and then tearing him down at will, and heeding the voice of slander rather than appreciating justice in its complexity. The author demonstrates a shrewd knowledge of family psychology that demonstrates long experience either observing or participating in dysfunctional families, and the book holds up today as a look at family therapy, generational curses, and imperialism, all subjects that are certainly relevant even now.
May 20, 2022
СОМЕРСЕТ МОЕМ “ПІДКОРЮВАЧ АФРИКИ”
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Жанр: психологічна драма.
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Люсі Аллертон хоч і юна, але за життя вже багато чого пережила: смерть матері, банкрутство батька... Але найбільш бентежить її доля брата, якому вона б бажала кращої долі.
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Саме тому, коли в дівчину палко закохується підкорювач африканських місцин, їй вдається вмовити його взяти свого брата в ті далекі та бентежні краї...
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Та чи готов був хлопець до такої подорожі?
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.
«Підкорювач Африки» для мене став візитівкою Сомерсета Моема, і знайомство з ним пройшло вдало, бо книга мені сподобалася: проковтнула її за два дні.
⠀
Спочатку в головному герої мені мало що сподобалося, але чим далі просувалося наше знайомство, тим більше захоплювалася його характером та духовною силою.
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Але наскільки розумний був Алек Маккензі (саме так звуть головного героя), на стільки дурна його кохана Люсі Аллертон. З перших рядків перейнялася до неї негативними почуттями: бісило, що вона заплющувала очі на слабкості батька і сліпо балувала брата. А остаточно від Люсі відвернуло те, що її так легко зламала суспільна думка.
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Не змогло залишити байдужим і те, як Сомерсет Моем зміг розкрити в одному з епізодів всі жахи будь-якої війни — майстерно.
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Дуже сподобався образ�� Діка та Джулії, які є хоч і другорядними, але такими колоритними персонажами: їхня манера спілкування та діалоги розбавили оповідь, надали йому фарб.
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Сомерсет Моем — це автор, який зміг покорити Африку мого літературного серця.
⠀
Жанр: психологічна драма.
.
.
Люсі Аллертон хоч і юна, але за життя вже багато чого пережила: смерть матері, банкрутство батька... Але найбільш бентежить її доля брата, якому вона б бажала кращої долі.
⠀
Саме тому, коли в дівчину палко закохується підкорювач африканських місцин, їй вдається вмовити його взяти свого брата в ті далекі та бентежні краї...
⠀
Та чи готов був хлопець до такої подорожі?
.
.
«Підкорювач Африки» для мене став візитівкою Сомерсета Моема, і знайомство з ним пройшло вдало, бо книга мені сподобалася: проковтнула її за два дні.
⠀
Спочатку в головному герої мені мало що сподобалося, але чим далі просувалося наше знайомство, тим більше захоплювалася його характером та духовною силою.
⠀
Але наскільки розумний був Алек Маккензі (саме так звуть головного героя), на стільки дурна його кохана Люсі Аллертон. З перших рядків перейнялася до неї негативними почуттями: бісило, що вона заплющувала очі на слабкості батька і сліпо балувала брата. А остаточно від Люсі відвернуло те, що її так легко зламала суспільна думка.
⠀
Не змогло залишити байдужим і те, як Сомерсет Моем зміг розкрити в одному з епізодів всі жахи будь-якої війни — майстерно.
⠀
Дуже сподобався образ�� Діка та Джулії, які є хоч і другорядними, але такими колоритними персонажами: їхня манера спілкування та діалоги розбавили оповідь, надали йому фарб.
⠀
Сомерсет Моем — це автор, який зміг покорити Африку мого літературного серця.
May 20, 2023
I love every thing that Somerset Maugham wrote so I am biased. If not profound, if not a masterpiece, this book remains fun, readable, and clever. You are unlikely to be glad when you turn the last page.
May 28, 2011
Somehow, in 'The Explorer' I sorely missed the cold ruthless analysis of love and emotions thats so typical of Maugham's works. This one's a straight story of a daring British explorer in Africa whose reputation gets tarnished on his return, costing him the trust of his beloved. The book also ends predictably. Expected much much more from one of my favourite writers. The silver lining was the fact that the book was a 1969 edition, got at a throwaway price
February 1, 2012
That dialogue bit of witticisms between Julia and Dick is stunning. Maugham has a knack for writing dialogue that is funny and true, all while being perfectly clever. Thought the ending a little trite and rushed, but the open-ended happy ending (or is it?) technique was sort of nice. Not one of his strongest reads, but enough witty banter and engaging plot to make it worthy for any Maugham afficianado.
May 1, 2013
It was no surprise, with W. Somerset Maugham, background you know what you are getting into. What I enjoyed is that it is a early book of his and even then he was a real wordsmith even at a younger age. I thoroughly enjoyed the portrait he painted of Alec, and his stoic honorable, approach to life.
I picture this book as entertainment before tv's ruined the world and it does that very well. It is always a pleasure to read his works!
I picture this book as entertainment before tv's ruined the world and it does that very well. It is always a pleasure to read his works!
July 4, 2017
Somerset how could you? This is the worst thing he ever wrote, that I have ever read.
The story is romantically cheesy. The characters are one dimensional. The plot is pointless. Big waste of time.
The story is romantically cheesy. The characters are one dimensional. The plot is pointless. Big waste of time.
November 30, 2012
This book is not brilliant, but it's highly enjoyable! Plus, the dialogues between Julia Crowley and Dick Lomas are really, really lovely!
January 17, 2014
This is a great love story for those sappy romantics like me who prefer their love stories well written. Good job William Somerset Maugham
July 13, 2014
Of pride, of character & of valour.
Loved the book.
Loved the book.
Read
April 7, 2024 Absolutely excellent.
One cannot ignore that the book is of its time. Maugham takes it as a matter of course that the British are entitled to colonize anywhere regardless of cost to the natives, and that British colonization is better than occupation by any other people. He assumes the superiority of white men (especially white British men) over those of any other color. These views are not surprising, though—it would have been more surprising had he held contrary views. The purpose of the novel is not to glorify these assumed views, either—I think he would have been surprised at the thought that they might need glorification. His novel is instead about the personalities and interplay of the characters he has created.
Lucy is the first strong, independent female character I have come across in a Maugham novel. Mrs. Crowley, too, though disavowing any association with female strength, uses her more stereotypically feminine gifts to be comfortably independent, and is additionally highly amusing. Lucy’s brother and father, despicable rascals, are the foundation of the plot. Dick Lomas is highly entertaining, and intended to serve as a foil to Alec. Alec is the embodiment of the British colonizing spirit, energetic and purposeful where Dick is not, and yet Lomas does not seem entirely at a disadvantage—he is likeable, kindhearted, and a burden on no one. The interplay of all these strong characters makes the story, and each is so varied and well-written that they make the story compelling even to those of us who have moved beyond the idea of the sun never setting on the British empire.
May 17, 2018
I was divided on whether to rate this higher or lower. As one of Maugham's earlier works, it has some weaknesses he would later mature past: the plot if predictable and thin, characters act the way they must instead of three dimensionally. On the other hand, the prose is poetic, the dialogue is sharp. If you enjoy his classic works, it is worth reading The Explorer in order to see how advanced his style was at the age of 25.
Maugham's treatment of colonialism in The Explorer is useful as a window into that time period. Imperialism is not treated entirety uncritically. Of course, the problem is not in the abuse and harm it wrecks on the colonized peoples, but on the damage to the body and psyche of the European explorer - "White Man's Burden" novelized.
Maugham's treatment of colonialism in The Explorer is useful as a window into that time period. Imperialism is not treated entirety uncritically. Of course, the problem is not in the abuse and harm it wrecks on the colonized peoples, but on the damage to the body and psyche of the European explorer - "White Man's Burden" novelized.
April 12, 2025
Despite being a fan of Somerset Maugham, I had never heard of this book until I found it in a second hand shop. After reading it, I can understand why. The story is rather uninteresting and almost nothing happens until about 40% into the book. Also, Lucy Allerton is the most boring main character that I have ever read about. I think Maugham should have developed George's character more because what happens to him just seems bizarre when there is hardly any build up to it.
Still, it's entertaining enough, and there are some other characters, like Alec Mackenzie, Dick Lomas and Julia that make up for the plainness of Lucy and the daftness of George.
Still, it's entertaining enough, and there are some other characters, like Alec Mackenzie, Dick Lomas and Julia that make up for the plainness of Lucy and the daftness of George.
July 31, 2022
Maugham’s 7th novel departs in part from England while still including some of the places and characters from previous stories -while the African pieces are very much of their time and would not be seen as appropriate nowadays one has to look past that and enjoy this fantastic observer of human society and relationships and extraordinary writer - his characters have the grossness of dickens, the narrative is as fast as Hemingway and the critique of society as good as Balzac - a great little book.
August 20, 2022
Not the best, but it's still good enough for me to be entertained. At the exact halfway mark of this novel, the climatic point is met.
George's true nature is revealed to the company, and he is sent to his death by his sister's suitor.
After this, some smaller events happen, and the plot tapers off into a inconclusive end.
The racism is jarring, and pulls me out of the typical melodramatic plot. I guess it reflects the sentiment the British had of the time concerning citizens of African nations. I dunno. Not my favourite, but was still interesting to read.
Rated 3/5 "Meh"
George's true nature is revealed to the company, and he is sent to his death by his sister's suitor.
After this, some smaller events happen, and the plot tapers off into a inconclusive end.
The racism is jarring, and pulls me out of the typical melodramatic plot. I guess it reflects the sentiment the British had of the time concerning citizens of African nations. I dunno. Not my favourite, but was still interesting to read.
Rated 3/5 "Meh"
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 15, 2024
This is bad. Very bad. It's one step from The Perils of Pauline. Except Pauline has a better story and a better plot. How many times did I wince reading the stilted prose? How many pages did I turn waiting for something to happen to one of the flat, one-dimensional characters? I kept expecting a payoff of some sort. There was none. Did Maugham do this on purpose? Was it an exercise in seeing just how much he could get away with? Cliched, verbose, smothering. Pity the poor person who encounters Explorer as their first exposure to Maugham.
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